A Job From Hell (Ancient Legends #1)

her killed,” Connor said. “May
I remind you it’s against Lore rules to kill humans?”
    I shrugged, but not because I didn’t care.
I could never let on how much Amber meant to me. “I’m strong enough to lead her
back from the otherworld.”
    “Only if you turn her into—” Connor
spit on the ground. “That’s against Lore rules too.”
    “Rules are meant to be broken,” Kieran
said.
    “We have a proposition to make,” Devon
said. “If you work with us to find and then return the book, we’ll let you and
your clan enter the Cemetery of the Dead to perform the ritual.”
    Kieran sniffed. “Talk about the hidden
power of persuasion. Didn’t know a Shadow possessed that skill. You’re
threatening to shatter every belief I’ve had about your kind.” He grinned. “You’re
lucky I’m a sucker for a challenge and a huge fan of magic. So let the games
begin.”
    The Cemetery of the Dead—the place
Rebecca would’ve killed to visit. I considered his words for a minute. With the
help of the book I’d finally get what I wanted since my turning. If there was a
place where the ritual might work, then on Shadow territory, among the trapped
souls of the dead. And I wanted that ritual. It was my only chance to live
without blood, to see the sun rise and set, and feel its heat on my bare skin.
    “What do you think?” Devon asked. Judging
from his self-satisfying smirk, it wasn’t a question.
    Clare bobbed her head. I didn’t need to ask
Kieran, because my brother was nodding enthusiastically, probably making signs
behind my back. Yet I couldn’t quite shake off the feeling the Shadows were keeping
something from me.
    Cass stepped between us as if sensing the
battle inside me. “I’ll make sure everyone plays fair. If you break your word,
I swear I’ll send half of hell after you.”
    “You mean Daddy will.” Kieran grinned.
    “Shut up, you two,” I hissed, still
considering my options. I wouldn’t need blood any more or ever shun the sun again,
meaning I could protect Amber day and night. She could learn to control her new
ability while I watched over her. It was an offer too good to be true. “Okay, I’ll
keep my part of the deal if you keep yours. Cass, I trust you’re not taking sides.”
    “You have my word,” Cass said. Kieran
snorted. She turned toward him, two tiny flames blazing in her green eyes. Her
voice dropped a few notches. The smell of sulfur wafted past me. “You want to
say something, moron?” She sounded as though several voices talked at once, layered
in tone and connotation.
    Not again. I sighed and lifted my hand to rub
my forehead. “I’ve had it with you two. We’re trying to seal a deal here.” The
fires in Cass’s eyes disappeared, but she didn’t back off. I breathed in,
mentally preparing myself for what I was about to say. “As much as it pains me
to work with Shadows, you have a deal.”
    “Wise decision,” Connor said.
    Kieran patted me on the back. “Congrats,
bro. You’ve just sold your soul to the devil. Wait. You don’t have a soul.”
    “I’ll send out the soul hunters to find out
the book’s whereabouts,” Cass said, ignoring him.
    “We’ll keep in touch.” Devon and Connor
walked away, glancing over their shoulders a few times as though they didn’t
dare turn their backs on us.
    “You know I’ll stand by you no matter what.
We might have our differences, but you’re my brother and I love you,” Kieran
said.
    Cass laughed and flicked her hair back,
revealing a milky-white, slender neck. “And I thought you two didn’t have a
heart. Well, technically you don’t because you’re dead. Even still, it was a
gushy moment. If only I had a camera to capture the magic. But then again, you
wouldn’t show up on film.”
    “What’s your desired position with the Lore
council?” I asked.
    Cass beamed at Clare, and I marveled at how
little she looked like a half fallen angel—more like a little child in a
candy shop. If I didn’t know who her father was, I would’ve believed she was a
normal teen with too much determination and no sense of fashion.
    “Make me ambassador,” Cass said. Kieran
burst into a fit of laughter.
    “I’ll try my best.” I grabbed her
outstretched hand and shook it, the heat emitted from her palm scorching my
skin.
    Clare accompanied Cass to her car while Kieran
and I returned to the house. My gaze fell on Amber sitting next to Blake. Our
eyes connected, and she smiled that lazy smile of hers that